Apparatus for the production of efficient fuel gases



.March 14, 1944. TQTZEK 2,344,007

APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EFFICIENT FUEL GASES Filed April 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. TOTZEK March 14, 1944.

APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EFFICIENT FUEL GASES Filed April 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 m EM n I 7 v ZZ ZZZ: ZZZ: ZZZ: ZZZ: ZZZ: ZZ:

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 mom I arraaarus ron "ms raonUc'rroN, or EFFICIENT roar. cases I Friedrich oiter, mien,

mesne assignmen Pittsburgh, Pa., a

,alsignonby" Germany to, to Koppel-s Company, corporation oi Delaware Application April 5, 1940, Serial No. 321.951

- In Germany April 18, 1939 1 I 7 Claims. 48-63) The invention relates to the production of a very emcient heating gas from dusty or finely granular fuels. as for instance, bituminous coal, or lignite coal, or coke thereof. a part of the fuel being burnt in a coal dust flrlns system,-

for the production of a gas rich in carbon dioxide and the resulting hot combustlonsases burner. By retreating the fuel with the hot combustion gases and steam a very good utilization being brought into contact with the other part of the fuel. The carbon di-oxide contained in the hot combustion gases is more or less reduced to bon monoxide by the carbon added, so that a combustible gas mixture results.

It has been proposed to combine the reduction of carbon di-oxide to carbon monoxide with the formation of water gas by adding steam to the hot combustion gases.

The invention has for its object to improve the heating value of the fuel gas produced in the above described 'process, and to utilize the fuel better, by separating the reaction of the carbon of the carbon di-oxide contained in the fuel is arrived at. v

The invention further comprehends an apparatus suitable for the carrying out of the new gasiflcation process.

According to the invention the principal feature otthe new gasiiier is the provision of a di-oxide containing gases with carbon from the reaction of steam with carbon. The reaction velocity between carbon di-oxide and carbon is comparatively low and is more increased at high temperatures than the velocity of the reaction 1 between steam and carbon.

Now, the invention principally consists in intimately mixing first of all the hot combustion.

reaction between carbon and carbon di-oxide ef-.

fects a quick dropping of the very high temperature at which the combustion gases leave the coal dust burner. Thereby the walls of the gasiiication and reaction chambers, respectively, are protected against superheating in a favorable manner. The part of the fuel not used for the reduction of the carbon di-oxide is gasifled with steam with the formation of water gas.

According to the invention the addition of steam, preferably in superheated state, to the mixture of hot combustion gases and fuel is fa-. vorably carried out in such a way that the fuel is repeatedly. treated with hot combustion gases by moving the remaining part of the fuel back into the zone of high temperature near the inlet reaction chamber having the form of a horithe reaction chamber. opposite the mouth of the coal dust burner and at the bottom'of the reaction chamber.

This principle of. arrangement of the gasiflcation chamber has the advantage that the residue resulting from the gasiflcation of the fuel collects outside the zones of highest temperature which prevail near the mouth of the coal dust burner so that a smelting of the fuel ash is safely prevented. By the addition of steam the. ash is granulated to a-great extent, so that the formation of large slag lumps is avoided. Furthermore by the introduction of gasiflcation steam,-distributed over the whole cylindrical wall of the reaction chamber, there is achieved the end that the fuel particles have time enough to react with steam, or to be moved again in the zone of high temperature at the upper end of the reaction chamber by the flowing steam. The steam introduced along the walls of the reaction chamher also protects in a favorable manner the reiractory lining ofthe reaction chamber against superheatlng.

In the preferred embodiment of the gas pro--- gradually be moved axially in the direction of the ash discharge. In this case it is favorable to arrange the gas outlet axially of the reaction chamber in one of the front walls of the reaction chamber, near the ash discharge.

of the hot combustion gases oi the coal dust 86 Further details of the gas producer plant structed according to the present invention may be taken from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention on the lines of the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken longitudinally and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section on line II-II of Fig. 1.

As shown on the drawings, the gas producer plant, according to the invention, has a reaction chamber 2 formed by the refractory brickwork I, said reaction chamber having essentially the form of a horizontal cylinder. At the upper part of the reaction chamber 2 there is arranged nearly tangentially of the reaction chamber the mouth 3 of a normal coal dust burner l. The fuel is introduced to the coal dust burner 4 through the'pipe line 5 and the combustion air through the pipe line 6. Suitable means for the introduction of secondary air may further be provided for the coal dust burner. The ash resulting from the coal dust firing in burner 4 collects inthe hopper l and may be drawn 01! through the pipe 8.

The hot combustion gases produced in the coal dustfiring in burner 4 flow through the channel 3 with comparatively great velocity tangentially into the cylindrical reaction chamber 2. The wallsjof'the channel 3 may," as shown at 9, be provided with cooling'pipes through which the water serving for the production of steam may be passed in orderto be preheated. I

At the mouth of the connecting channel 3 in the'reaction' chamber 2 there is provided a slot I0 for the introduction of fuel. Said fuelis in troduced' to the slot from the storagetank I I.

The fuel falling from the slot l0 into the reaction chamber 2 is caught-bythe stream of hot combustion gases which enter throughthe mouth 3, the reaction chamber 2, and is moved'in the direction of the arrow l2 through the reaction,"

sumed fuel is further-as indicated by arrow lG-repeatedly brought before the mouth of the connecting channel 3, so as to be heated to a' 1 fuel particles which might have gotten into the chamber 2. Thehot combustion gases rich in.

carbon (ii-oxide of the coal dust. burner "I "mix intimately with the fuel introduced at "I, whereby the carbon dioxide contained in the gases is reduced by reaction with the carbon to carbon monoxide.

The reacting media then flow along the wall of the reaction chamber 2 to a series of steam inlet openings 13 which are provided in the wall opposite the connecting channel 3 andat the bottom of the reaction chamber.

The steam inlet openings l3 extend from a common distributing channel n, which extends parallel to the cylindrical wall of the reaction chamber 2.1 The channel I! is connected with the steam inlet at IS The portion of the steam distributing channel lying immediately opposite to I the mouth 3 of the coal dust burner is designed as indicated atHa-as a preheating channel for steam. By. preheating the steam the reaction of the steam with carbon'is improved and a jfavorable cooling of the reaction'chamber wall opposite the mouth of the coal dust burner is obtained. 7 a J" 7 As shown in the drawingsthe steam inlet openings iii are. arranged approximately tangentially to the cylindrical wall of the reaction chamber 2,

i.,e., in the direction of flowof the gas stream prevailing in the reaction chamber. Thereby the fuelgrains which are notimmediately consumedin the reduction of carbondi-oxide and in the reaction with steam, are moved in clockwise direction through the reaction chamber 2. A moreor less considerable part of the uncondistributing channel I through the steam opening I 3 can be drawn off.

The reaction chamber 2 is closed at the ends by vertical front walls l8, l8. Preferably in the front wall IS the off-take 20 for useful gas is provided, i. e., in the longitudinal axis of the reaction chamber 2. Near the front wall it, in which the'ofl-take 20 for useful gas is arranged, the discharge 2| for the ash is provided in the bottom of the reaction chamber 2.

As shown in Fig. 2 the steam inlet openings l3 extend .not only tangentially to the cylindrical reaction chamber 2 but are also axiafly inclined in'the direction of the ash discharge 2|, said axial inclination of the steam inlet openings l3incre'asing in degree from the reaction chamber front wall I 8 opposite the ash discharge 2l towards the ash discharge. Thereby the ash collecting on the bottom of the reaction chamber 2 is gradually moved axially in direction towards the ash; discharge 2|, and this movement is facilitated by the uniform direction of flow of the resulting useful gases.

I have now above described my present invention on the lines of a preferred embodiment thereof, but my invention is not limited in all its aspects-to the mode of carrying it out as dereaction chamber so constructed and arranged that the products of combustion are given a tan- .gential and rotary movement in the reaction chamber; means for introducing finely divided solid fuel into the products of combustion adiavcent the point of introduction of the products of combustion into the reaction chamber; and steam inlets to the reaction chamber in the wall of the reaction chamber opposite said point of introduction, said steam inlet being connected with a steam supply.

2. Apparatus for producing fuel gas comprising: a substantially horizontal reaction chamber substantially circular in cross-section; a combustion chamber; passage-means leading from the combustion chamber into the upper part of said reaction"chamber so constructed and arranged that the products of combustion are given a tangential and rotary movement in' the reaction chamber; means for introducing finely divided solid fuel from the top of the reaction chamber into the products of combustion adjacent the point of introduction of the products of combustion into the reaction chamber; steam inlets to the reaction chamber in the wall of the reaction chamber opposite said point of introduction, said steam inlet being connected with a steam supply; and further steam inlets in the bottom of the reaction chamber, said latter inlets being arranged substantially tangentially to the circumference 'ofthe reaction chamber.

3. Apparatus for producing fuel gas comprising: a substantially horizontal reaction chamber substantially circular in cross-section; a combustion chamber; passage-means leading from the combustion chamber into the upper part of said reaction chamber so constructed and arranged that the products of combustion are given a tangential and rotary movement in the reaction chamber; means for introducing finely di- 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steam inlets extend from a steam distributing channel arranged in a cylindrical circumferential wall of the reaction chamber, and wherein vided solid fuel from the top of the reaction 10 chamber into the products of combustion adjacent the point of introduction of the products of combustion into the reaction chamber; steam inlets to the reaction chamber in the wall or the reaction chamber opposite said points of intro.- duction, said steam inlets being connected with a steam supply; and a gas outlet for the reaction chamber substantially axially of the same, in one axial end wall of the reaction chamber.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein 2 0 the steam inlets extend from a steam distributing channel arranged ina cylindrical circumferential wall of the reaction chamber.

' the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical reaction chamber.

7. Apparatus as claimed-in claim 3, wherein an ash discharge outlet is provided on the bottom of the reaction chamber near that axial end wall thereof in which the gas outlet for the reaction chamber is arranged.

FRIEDRICH TQTZEK. 

